


Need A Little Time

by tricksterquinn



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-22
Updated: 2012-04-22
Packaged: 2017-11-04 02:42:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,591
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/388796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tricksterquinn/pseuds/tricksterquinn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cedric & Harry go out for a drink. All is not well in the world of Harry Potter. (note: a snippet from a larger - likely defunct - fic in which Cedric didn't die but spent years in a coma; takes place well after Cedric has awoken)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Need A Little Time

**Author's Note:**

> Short version of the setup: Canon-compliant through the end of Deathly Hallows (not including epilogue) EXCEPT Cedric didn't die in Goblet of Fire. Pettigrew mis-cast the spell, and instead of killing Cedric, the Killing Curse threw him into a coma. About five years later, he woke up, and this happens some time after that.
> 
> Originally posted 2008-12-25. For minisinoo, from her prompt [here](http://twoseekers.livejournal.com/259438.html?thread=2569326#t2569326).

Cedric wasn't really sure why he was sitting in a Muggle pub waiting for Harry Potter.

He'd gotten an owl from Harry last Tuesday suggesting that they go out for drinks one night after work. Cedric had been surprised, as he and Harry weren't really 'go out for a pint and a lark' close, but he agreed readily enough. After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing, they'd settled on the time and place. Cedric had arrived slightly early, Apparating to the alley behind the bar, and had gone ahead and ordered a pint from the bartender. He sat back, sipping at the foamy drink, and took the time to survey the room.

Cedric wasn't sure why Harry had chosen a Muggle pub over a wizarding one. Cedric could have just as easily met him at the Three Broomsticks or the Hog's Head if Harry had wanted to stay in Hogsmeade, or at the Leaky since he'd apparently felt like coming to London. On the other hand, it gave Cedric a chance to watch Muggles in their natural environment, and he always found that somewhat interesting.

At the moment, the dingy pub was sparsely populated. Besides himself and the scowling bartender, there were a handful of men clearly just done with work at a table in front of the window, discussing the latest game enthusiastically, and a rather morose-looking chap halfway down the bar. Cedric was looking at the collection of 'Oh Goodness, My Guinness!" advertisements behind the bar and half-listening to the table behind him arguing about Man U, whatever that was, when Harry plopped down on the stool next to him.

Cedric turned to Harry, smiling. "Harry! How are you?"

"Sorry I'm running late," Harry said breathlessly. "We got in the latest batch of Unplottable Pests and one got lose. Giselle and I spent the last hour chasing it round and round the shop." He caught the bartender's eye and pointed to Cedric's beer. "Anyway, how was your day?"

Cedric laughed at that image. "Not as exciting as yours, apparently! So, what happened?"

Harry launched into an animated retelling of the incident, ending with "So then I'm chasing the little bugger with a broom and yelling my head off and Giselle finally gets the bloody crate open again and in he goes, obedient as can be, like we didn't just about destroy the whole shop trying to chase him down!"

Cedric laughs helplessly at the look on Harry's face, remembered frustration mixing with amusement in retrospect. "Oh, that must've been a sight!"

Harry shrugs, grinning. "Yeah. Giselle made a smart remark about my face being the color of a Weasley's hair."

Cedric snorted. "Just about, from the sound of it!"

Suddenly serious, Harry shifted uncomfortably. "So, uh, Cedric." He paused, hunching into himself.

"Yeah?" Cedric raised an eyebrow questioningly. He had no idea what had just changed the mood, but Harry's evident amusement of a moment ago had vanished completely.

"Well," Harry hesitated, apparently seeking the right words. "I wanted to ask you..."

Cedric made an encouraging noise, tilting his head to indicate his attentiveness. Harry, however, didn't continue, Instead, he suddenly seemed to find his glass fascinating, tilting his glass back and forth, staring into it's depths like the pint might spontaneously offer up the meaning of life. The silence stretched on as Cedric watched him and waited for Harry to look up or speak or in any way indicate that he remembered Cedric's presence.

Finally, when it had been long enough that Cedric was considering giving up and saying something, Harry sighed. "Sometimes I think you're so lucky."

Cedric blinked. "I'm sorry?"

Harry shrugged and took a swig of his pint, staring into the middle distance. "I mean, not, you know..." He trailed off awkwardly. "It's just that you've figured out what you're doing and don't compromise it. You've taken what you had and made it work. And look at you. You seem so... contented."

Cedric tried not to choke on his own beer. "Uh, Harry, I know I don't need to remind you that things have not exactly worked all that well so far."

Harry's eyes snapped back to Cedric's face and he looked mildly horrified. "Oh, no, I didn't mean-! I... Uh. Sorry, that wasn't really--"

Cedric took a sip to hide his expression. "It's ok, Harry. I know you didn't. Anyway, what's got you so..." He gestured. "I thought things were going pretty well for you these days. You've got the store, and Ginny..."

Harry examined the surface of the bar, tracing his fingers over the pits and scars of years of use. "I'mhavingsecondthoughtsaboutthewedding," he said, all in a rush.

Cedric blinked again. "Sorry, come again?"

Harry looked miserable. "The wedding. I'm not really sure..." He trailed off. Cedric suddenly understood why Harry was talking to him, rather than to any of his closer friends - most of whose name ended in "Weasley". And, for that matter, why he might not've wanted to drop that particular tidbit at a Wizarding pub; Harry might not be embracing his role as Hero of the Second Wizarding War these days, but most of the Wizarding world would still just love to hear juicy gossip about The Boy Who Lived. Cedric was a little surprised that Harry felt comfortable confiding in him.

"Oh. Uh," he said intelligently.

Harry's shoulders dropped. "I know." He started tracing the condensation his glass had left on the bar.

Cedric signaled for another drink.

"Like... second thoughts as in cold feet, or like... for real?" He knew he was out of his depth here. In fact, he was pretty sure he was the last person whose advice should be asked for this sort of thing. It had never really been something that had come up in his life. Mercifully, he supposed.

Harry seized his new pint gratefully. "I don't know." He spoke quickly and half into his glass as he lifted it, in a hurry to drink more.

"Harry..." Cedric tried to think of something useful to say. "Wouldn't one of your other friends be better for this? Like, uh, Hermione?" While not precisely helpful, passing the buck did have a certain appeal.

"Uh. Well." Harry looked embarrassed, which was at least a change from miserable. "She's sort of busy, with school and Krum and all. I don't want to bother her."

Cedric wasn't sure how he felt about the fact that Harry apparently didn't have a problem bothering him. "I'm sure she would want to help you out, Harry. You're best friends."

Harry brightened slightly. "You're probably right. It's just that she and Ginny get along, and with the stuff with Ron... I don't want to make anything worse."

Cedric supposed that made some sense, at least. He thought about it as he finished off his second pint. "Okay, so... if you don't want to marry Ginny--"

"Shh!" Harry glanced around nervously, even though no one nearby had any idea who they were.

"--why did you propose?" Cedric finished reasonably.

Harry sighed gustily. "I 'spose... it seemed like the thing to do?"

Cedric raised an eyebrow.

Harry deflated again. "No, really. I mean, we've been going for years, and everyone just assumed I would, you know? Mrs Weasley's been dropping hints about how good it will be when I'm finally part of the family for real, and after Lavender got married last year Ginny seemed like she was waiting, and..." He stared morosely into the bottom of his now-empty glass. Cedric wondered if it was just the admittedly uncomfortable topic at hand or if he normally only held eye contact for three minutes at a time. "It just seemed like the thing to do," he finished lamely.

Cedric raised the other eyebrow for good measure. "Well. Then the question is, do you want to marry her?" he asked bluntly.

Harry gulped. "Well, I mean..." he prevaricated.

"Do you want to spend the rest of your life with the girl? Because if you don't, marrying her because it's expected of you isn't really doing her any favors." Cedric would have thought that was obvious, but clearly it needed to be said.

Harry stared blankly at the rows of bottles behind the bar. "I... don't know." Cedric might've made some noise in disbelief, because Harry refocuses on him. "I really don't know. It's all tangled up."

"Well, then. Sounds like that's what you've got to figure out." Cedric thumped Harry on the shoulder, looking for a quick escape. "And on that note, I've got to be going. Dinner plans, you know." He wasn't going to mention that his dinner plans were feeding his cat.

Harry nodded quickly. "Of course. Thanks for making the time to see me."

"That makes it sound like a doctor's appointment." Cedric shrugged on his coat and tossed a handful of coins onto the bar. "It was hardly an imposition."

Harry grinned sheepishly and looked at the floor. "Yeah, well... thanks."

Cedric laid a hand on Harry's shoulder. "Really, Harry," he said seriously. "It was no problem. Let's get together again soon, yeah?"

Harry nodded. "I'd like that."

Cedric smiled. "Well, bye then!" He turned and left the bar, shrugging to himself at the way Harry stood there and watched him go. Clearly the guy had a lot on his mind.

He turned the corner outside into the alleyway beside the bar, and once hidden by the dumpsters took a step and turned quickly to Apparate home, leaving the puzzle that was Harry Potter behind.

It was time to feed his cat.


End file.
